If he retained his IBF title, Joshua’s first mandatory defence would potentially be against Parker.
Advertisement
Virtually shrugging off the magnitude of winning a world crown in only his 16 pro bout, speaking backstage at the O2, Anthony said, “I knew I wasn’t losing so I’m calm”. “It’s about speed and precision”.
As well as Fury, former World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight champion David Haye is also making it known he wants to fight Joshua in the future.
Joshua’s enthusiasm was tempered after the fight though as he considered the challenges that lay ahead. “I’m not going to get too carried away because we still have work to do”. So I think that’s a fight you will see sooner rather than later. “They say styles make fights, but I don’t stand up in the air and my head is constantly moving”, said Haye in his role as ringside analyst for Sky Sports.
IBF shouldn’t have stripped him and that’s why the opportunity existed. “He should represent himself like a champion, he’s a kid”, Joshua said. Fury will take on Klitschko in a rematch on July 9th in his home city of Manchester and then a fight against his British rival and fellow champion Joshua would be a massive fight for British boxing and break all records for demand.
He tweeted after the Joshua-Martin clash, “So AJ gets a belt, looked slow ponderous, & still looked like a bodybuilder, let me slay the lamb”.
He followed up 30 minutes later saying: “Don’t worry fight fans I’m still the #King”. But what’s very clear is that Anthony Joshua has a lot of people excited about boxing, and for a sport that desperately needs new stars, that’s very encouraging.
In the first round, Joshua started by finding his range after landing multiple right hand punches that caused the champion to be shocked with the power of his opponent.
Promoter Barry Hearn has booked Wembley Stadium on 9 July for Joshua’s fight, but not everyone believes it will happen.
That was just a softening up exercise.
Martin beat the count but looked dazed and Joshua stalked him calculatingly before unleashing another huge blow. Less than 60 seconds into Round 2, Martin had the taste smacked out of his mouth, which was the second time he was knocked down. Just seconds later, Martin missed with another jab, and once again Joshua retaliated with a devastating right that dropped the American, who grinned in disbelief as he sat up on the canvas.
Advertisement
“After just 16 fights, Joshua intends to unify the heavyweight belts inside 18 months, and could earn upwards of £30m for laying waste to the contenders”.
